With a good year behind them and the prospect of an excellent year ahead, The Revelstoke Community Housing Society is confident that they are well placed to ensure the city remains affordable and livable.
“I strong believe that livability will have a direct correlation to affordable housing,” society Chairman Mark McKee said at the group’s annual general meeting on Monday afternoon.
McKee said the fact that the society has been tapped to proceed to the next phase of a its quest for provincial BC Housing and Columbia Basin Trust funding to help finance a $2.7 million12-unit rental housing project is a sure sign that it is on the right track.
The project, to be built at Bridge Creek Properties, is the first real affordable housing project. Rental forecasts for the one- and two-bedroom units are currently pegged at below $600 and below $700, respectively.
The society has also joined with Habitat for Humanity to help renovate Pauline and Simon Hunt’s home to make it wheelchair-friendly. Pauline suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a debilitating major illness for which there is no cure.
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Girl Guide Cookies go on sale in Revelstoke on Wednesday, March 20, so make sure you a $5 bill handy in your wallet.
As always, Girl Guide cookies are the official fundraiser for Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada. Whether you buy your cookies at home or work from a Spark, Brownie, Guide, Pathfinder or Ranger, the funds raised through cookie sales continue to make a difference in the lives of girls across Canada.
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If you’re a fan of those zany Marx Brothers, you won’t want to miss Cocoanuts, the boys’ 1929 comedy.
This film is being presented by the Bygone Era Entertainment Society on March 22 at 7 pm.
Call 250-837-5250 for reservations. Tickets are $5 and will also be available at the door.
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Anyone looking for Taras Kardynal, better known to his friends as Yorkie, can now find him at Queen Victoria Hospital. His friend PK Giesbrecht of Salmon Arm told The Current that the Revelstoke resident, who had been at Kelowna General Hospital with an unspecified medical condition, was being transferred to QVH on Tuesday.
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Local Mounties plan to try and make a dent in the number of insecure vehicles that, inevitably, attract thieves who rummage through their interiors stealing anything they can find, Const. gary McLaughlin told City Council last week.
“We are looking at establishing a program to get some real stats on insecure vehicles in Revelstoke,” he said. “The growing problem of ‘car hopping’ has become a concern. More and more items in vehicles have been stolen and we think that we need to make a dent.”
McLaughlin said Mounties on patrol will check on parked vehicles and produce a report on what percentage of them were unlocked
“My personal goal with the program in 2013 is connecting more with the schools,” he said. “We do bike safety. We help with DARE. I feel there’s a ton more we can do and already are starting to come up with great ideas. Stay tuned.”
Officers in the detachment will continue to work on the annual Emergency Services Food Drive and the Child Find Fingerprinting Program may return to town this year.
The bike rodeo and roll over programs will continue this year and the detachment may initiate a Citizens’ Patrol Program in 2013.
“We’re going to look into this and how other detachments such as Salmon Arm and Sicamous do this,” McLaughlin said.
He ended his presentation to Council with a thank you to Staff Sgt. Jacquie Olsen who is retiring in April.
“I want to thank Jacquie for her support with our (Auxiliary Constable program),” McLaughlin said. “She’s evolved a ton over the years as I’m sure she’d agree. Our Auxiliaries have earned the respect of the detachment and the community and will continue to provide quality assistance… We’re here if you need us.”
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The Revelstoke Remote Control Club has asked the City for permission to use vacant land in the Big Eddy to launch and land their radio-controlled aircraft.
Specifically, they’d like to use a portion 500 feet long and 50 feet wide near the confluence of the Tum Tum Creek and the Columbia River inside the pave trail on top of the dyke.
They say they’d need to grade the surface, remove some trees and build a maintenance pit. Everything would comply with Model Aeronautic Association of Canada safety regulations. They said noise should not be a an issue.
They have used Columbia Shuswap Regional District space on the flats a couple of kilometers south of the airport. However, club spokesman Ken Kushner said politics has become an issue that hampers their enjoyment of their hobby.
Council has referred their request to staff for comment.
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Andrew Raymond, owner of River Bend Motor Home Park in Southside, has offered to let the City extend the paved River Front Trail through is property from Maplewood to Oscar Streets.
“With the recent City trail network Initiatives and as a trail user myself, I think that it would be an asset to town residents to continue the trail’s fluidity and have the trail follow the river through my property vs walking around the block on Leech Street,” he said in a letter to Council.
“Providing a public trail access along the river front will come at a cost to my land’s value and privacy, as well as (its) development potential. However, I see the trail network as an important community amenity in the long term.
“If this option is of interest to the City I will consider subdividing/selling, trading, and/or exchange for water front campground zoning at another acceptable location in the City.”
The City is considering his offer.
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Thirteen business licences were issued by the City last month.
They were purchased by Golder Associates Ltd., Rob Buchanan Photography, By Your Side Coaching and Counselling, RH Electric Ltd., Selkirk Car Rental Ltd., Kelsey Kindret Interior Designs, Wandering Wheels, Parastone Developments, Main Ingredient Love, Mike Morris Holdings, Revelstoke Alpine Properties and JV Cleaning Service.
They bring the total number of licences issued to 817. That’s down from January where there were 884 business licences in Revelstoke. Last year at this time there were 907.
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City Council has approved up to $50,000 in funding to permit enough renovations and repairs to permit the Revelstoke Golf Club to remain open for the season.
The clubhouse and its buildings are owned by the City but are operated by the club.
The buildings need a grand total of $600,000 in repairs and renovations.
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City Council has approved funding up to a maximum of $25,000 to share 50% of the costs related to the Grizzly Plaza entertainment program for 2013. This money will come from the Resort Municipality Initiative e remainder of the money. The rest of the funds will come directly from the City.
The very popular annual Grizzly Plaza entertainment program, which sees live concerts at Grizzly Plaza all summer, is administered by the Revelstoke Arts Council.
